U.S. Pat. No. 2,714,541 describes a physician examination table in which stirrups are longitudinally slidable along a leg support bar 23 for adjusting the longitudinal length of the stirrups. Such construction has a tremendous disadvantage in that when the stirrups are adjusted very close to the examination table, the protruding ends of the supporting bars 23 can be continually bumped into by the physician as he moves about examining the patient. Although these foot support bars 23 can swivel from side to side as shown in the FIG. 5 embodiment, they are of a constant length. When not in use, they can be swung downwardly and tucked beneath the table top, as shown in FIG. 5.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,318,596 describes a surgical table with an elaborate motor system for swinging the leg supports outwardly, such as for gynecology examinations. However, both leg supports are pivotally pinned, as shown in FIG. 2 at 16 to transverse rod 15. Although rod 15 can move forwardly and rearwardly a very short distance in slot 19, this gives no adequate nor independent adjustment to the leg supports. Both leg supports move forwardly and rearwardly together as rod 15 is moved. This is a serious disadvantage in that sometimes a physician will want one leg in an extended stirrup while the other one is in a retracted stirrup for a particular examination position of the patient.
The assignee of the present application also is the assignee of U.S. Pat. No. 3,871,637. In FIGS. 1 and 2 of this patent, there appears to be a slight horizontal swinging motion of limb support bar 25 when compared to FIG. 2. The table described in this patent has no mechanism for combined lateral swinging and longitudinal sliding. As explained in the specification of this patent, the limb support bar structure (hidden from view) is the same as disclosed in Ser. No. 329,380 which later became U.S. Pat. No. 3,944,205. It is clear from such reference disclosure that the limb support bars slide only longitudinally and do not laterally swivel. Such reference does not describe any structure within the table for supporting or controlling lateral swivel and longitudinal motion.